Wherever You Will Go
by TehEvveh
Summary: Upon discovering the body of a young woman dead on a rehab floor, Liz Stokes finds that memories are harder to push aside than she hoped...Especially when those memories are out to take your last breath. Rated for language, blood and gore.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"_You fucking bastard. Did you really think you could change that damn slut?"_

"_Shut up. She's no slut. I love her, I…"_

"_Don't go fucking sentimental on me, blondie. Now did you think you could change the bitch or what?"_

_A pause. Tears welled up in the eyes of the young, red haired female that had hidden herself in the cupboard and barricaded the door from the inside with a heavy cardboard box._

"_Fag." The first voice snorted, "You don't give a damn about what happens to her. Tell me where the fuck you've hidden her so she can get what she had coming."_

"_No. You're never gonna lay a hand on her again. Not for as long as I live."_

"_That's why I brought this. I'm gonna slide it down her throat real smooth, so the last thing she'll be calling is your name. And then I'm gonna rip…"_

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP!" the second voice cried out. It started the 17 year old girl. She perked up and leaned towards the door, pausing for a moment and contemplating if she really wanted to know what was going on at the other side of the door. Her curiosity and concern getting the better of her, she leaned forwards some more, peeking through the keyhole._

_To this day, Elizabeth Stokes wished she never had._

* * *

"Hey Lizizzle?"

A small grin curved the lips of the young male CSI as he looked around the door that lead to the garage of the Lab. The room was somewhat dimly lit, a few rays of sunshine falling through the small, rectangle shaped windows at the very top of the walls. One of the TL lights was emitting a sick, white light, constantly flickering on and off. It was odd, really. That light had been broken for as long as he could remember, and the garage had never been too well lit, creating a feel that was typical for a room almost completely built underground, but he'd never really minded it before. Now, the cold, gasoline scented air that hit him square in the face when he took a step inside sent chills down Ryan Wolfe's spine. It was quiet, really quiet. He'd never been able to hear his footsteps echo through the room before; normally it was Fall Out Boy or Greenday, blasting through the speakers in the corner at such rate that the ceiling creaked and tiny pieces actually came down.

"…Liz?" he mumbled, concern clouding his deep brown eyes. Ryan's eyebrows furrowed into a frown as he pulled his hands from the pockets of his linen trousers. This was more than creepy. Even if Liz was out, there was music on. There were sounds coming from the garage. But not this time.

Suddenly, the male perked up, his hand instinctively reaching for the pistol that was neatly tucked away in the black holster, at the height of his hip. Sound, from his right. It didn't sound like a threat, though. More like…Someone sobbing?

"G-go away!" Liz stuttered, her voice, which was already croaky and hoarse from crying, slightly muffled – she'd probably covered her face with her hands. The 27 year old was sitting neatly hidden from view in a corner on the right, a car parked right in front of her, obscuring the view of anyone that came in. Most of her long, red hair was tied back in a ponytail, a few loose strands falling down both sides of her face. Liz has indeed covered her face with her hands, but small tears had managed to leak through her fingers, falling apart on the navy blue overall she was wearing. Judging by the amount of small stains on her trousers, she'd been sitting there for quite a while.

Despite the female telling him to get lost, Ryan made his way around the car in less than 5 seconds, sinking down besides Liz and pulling her into a hug. He ignored the quiet protests she gave at first, holding her tightly until she gave in, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Hey…Shh, it's okay. It's okay…" he whispered, stroking the girl's hair soothingly. Liz took a deep breath, not bothering to clean her face from the tears she'd cried. Ryan gently let strands of her bright red hair slip through his fingers, carefully resting his chin atop of her head.

This had been the second time in his still short career as Crime Scene Investigator that he caught Liz Stokes, known for her happy-go-lucky, somewhat hyper attitude around the Lab and even outside, crying in the corner of the garage. The first time was because she had to put her cat down, after bringing it to Miami. Even though, at that time, she swore never to get a new cat to replace Rebel, she got herself a kitten not too long ago. For some reason, Ryan knew there had to be more behind it. This was something that couldn't be solved by just talking about it – if that would've helped, Liz would've started talking already. This was something bigger, something personal.

What bothered him the most was the fact that he had no idea how to cheer up the one person, the thought of whom alone would make him go to work with a smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"_I love rock n' roll_

_So put another dime in the jukebox, baby_

_I love rock n' roll_

_So come and take some time to dance with me."_

_With a grin, Liz put her arms around the neck of the tall, blonde boy in front of her. His deep green eyes sparkled mischievously, not leaving hers as she danced in his arms, her body brushing against his._

"_I'd rather have you dance by yourself, Lizzy-Liz."_

"_But I want you to dance /with/ me, Ash. Come take some time for your little girl. I know you want to." The female giggled, slipping her hands into Ashton's, gently moving them from her hips further up, under her shirt. Ash rolled his eyes with a grin, resting his forehead against that of Liz._

"_Stokes, I'm still on shift. Don't care how damn sexy you are."_

"_Oh, so then it was a gun in your pocket after all." Liz replied, letting go of Ash's hands and taking a step back. The male blushed, running a hand through his hair. Liz loved it so much when it was longer. It fell past his face so damn adorable, the longest bangs reaching his chin while it was a little shorter in the back. It was just…so awesome. If there was one reason to stay off the coke, it was because of him. All the times she thought she loved someone, Liz'd been high and it was just a cheap way for the guy to get sex. Things were different with Ash. They were still together, for almost 5 months now._

"_Honey…Honey. When am I ever not happy to see you?" Ashton questioned, pulling his girlfriend closer and wrapping his arms around her waist._

"_I'll get back to you after shift, okay? Make sure that bra's off by the time I get here, 'cause…"_

"_Last time you spent ten minutes trying to get it off. I know, blondie." Liz interrupted, smiling sweetly as she pushed herself on her tiptoes, Ashton meeting her halfway. They remained locked in a kiss for a few seconds, a pleasurable shiver tracking down the female's spine as Ash gently ran his fingers down her cheek. When he pulled back, Liz fell back to her feet, slowly running her tongue across her lips. She didn't want to lose the taste of Ashton's lips pressing down on hers, it felt so good…_

* * *

"Are you sure you're good, Elizabeth?"

'_Sure, apart from the huge lump in my throat.'_ Were the words that rang through Liz's mind. She forced on a smile that looked pretty damn sincere as she looked up. Straight ahead. Don't look him in the eyes, he knows when you're lying.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, H."

The lieutenant returned her that smile as he slipped his sunglasses into the pocket of his blue blouse. Horatio always went dressed stylish, the climate of Miami never seemed to get to him. Today, besides the blue blouse, he wore a pair of black trousers and a jacket in the same color to match. His shoes were freshly polished, but there was nobody who actually took notice of it now the sun was gone – it was a pretty gloomy day.

"Okay. You realize that I don't mind if you want out, right?" he spoke as he adjusted his pose slightly, watching Liz carefully, his head tilted. The girl merely nodded, tying her loose hair back into a ponytail.

"I do." She spoke quietly, a sigh escaping her lips as she aimed her attention up, at the building in front of her. It looked quite a lot like a hospital, covered in white paint, three stories in height. Liz knew better. The hospital looks were just for show. Not like the people who got brought in here could tell the difference, anyhow. The fact that the sun wasn't shining contributed to the feeling of disgust Liz felt bubbling up inside her stomach every time she laid her eyes upon the sign that was put up above the front door. It made the white paint look tattered and grey, it cast an eerie shadow over the black, bold lettering.

**Major Stonehearth Center For Rehabilitation**

Good old rehab. Good old memories. Good old four and a half years of her life that nobody in her current team but Horatio knew of. Life sucked sometimes…

Liz watched in silence as Detective Frank Tripp called Horatio over…Something about security cameras. The female could hear herself snort in amusement. Security cameras in this place that actually worked? Yeah right. She had just been about to walk inside when she felt someone nudge her. As if she didn't know exactly who that could be. A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips as she turned her head, tilting it slightly to face the male now standing beside her.

If there was one person in the world that could make her smile right now, it would've been him. And there he was.

"And how're you today?" Ryan questioned, smiling politely at his senior. Liz managed a giggle, gently prodding his arm.

"As always."

"Extremely hyper for my personal entertainment?"

"I was aiming for 'good', actually. But I guess whatever it is you said fits, too."

The male grinned, beckoning Liz as he walked further towards the entrance. "You know where we're supposed to be?"

"Not sure…" Liz replied, fishing a piece of what seemed to be scrap paper out of the pocket of her jeans. The swirly, slightly messy handwriting was undoubtedly hers, much like a doctor's – Patients can't read it even if their lives depended on it, but all of the doctors could, like a conspiracy. In Liz's case, everyone who she didn't hang around with on a daily base in her team could. The rest, quite often being the people in the lab or anyone who was supervising a case other than Horatio, wouldn't still be able to make it out under a microscope. This time, though, Liz had to squint her eyes to decipher the numbers scribbled onto the paper.

"DB in room 181. As far as I'm concerned, it's a female victim, found by the night guard. She's a…resident." She spoke, the last word a bit reluctantly. Resident sounded so negative, in a way…Resident was the term the doctors used. Liz'd always hated that. She managed pretty well to keep the feelings that bubbled up in her stomach locked inside, the painful memories stuffed away in a far, dark corner of her mind, a small, fake smile plastered on her lips. It seemed to satisfy Ryan enough, even though he noticed the pause. Liz felt herself breathe a sigh of relief on the inside. Nobody needed to know…

But some did. More people than Liz knew. More than she wanted to know. At least, as Liz realized when she and Ryan entered room 181, now there was one less.

"Woa." The female managed, swallowing. Liz had seen pretty gruesome things. This would definitely not make her top 10 of gruesomeness. More of scaryness. The victim was female, lying on the floor, her face in a pool of blood. Her bright blue eyes, drained from emotion, were still wide open with fear. Though you couldn't quite see, Liz knew she'd find multiple stabwounds in her chest, around her stomach, her lower abdomen, and of course, the all-important 'vampire stab' as Liz liked to call it – straight through the heart. The scary part, though, was not the fact she knew what had happened without being there.

It was the fact that the girl, now dead on the floor, looked exactly like her.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Alexx Woods had seen many people on her table, and whenever they ended up there, she would feel sorry for them. Whether it was death by natural causes or a homicide, each time a new victim was supposed to be examined by her, Alexx felt her world growing a bit smaller. Liz would tell her that she should stop thinking like that and move on, but deep down, Alexx knew her assistant felt the same. Though she wasn't quite sure whether Liz felt anything right about now.

"…Oh my dear God." The woman whispered, having opened the black body bag that had been just wheeled into her morgue, to reveal a mop of bright, red hair she knew all too well. Alexx staggered back a step, afraid to open the bag any further, afraid of what she'd find. This girl…This girl was Liz. Liz wasn't supposed to be on her autopsy table. Nobody was more alive than the Elizabeth Stokes she knew, this couldn't possibly…

* * *

Ryan stared in disbelief at the scene in front of him, his view shifting from the body of a young woman on the floor to the young woman he worked with. It was scary how much the two of them looked alike. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn Liz'd just died on him.

"She…She's…She's you." He finally managed, eyes resting on Liz, who had come to a stop a step ahead of him. The girl remained silent, her mouth opened a little as if she was about to say something, but couldn't. Memories came flooding back, the good ones as well as the bad ones. This could most definitely be categorized as 'bad'. There was a silence between the two CSI's for a few moments, until Ryan cleared his throat. Liz, as if rudely awoken from some kind of trance snapped up and turned her head slightly, to look at her partner.

"Do you know her?"

The female inhaled, before shaking her head, her attention aimed back at her look-alike on the floor. "No. I've…I've never seen her before."

"I thought you had twin sisters."

"Summer and Autumn are twins, yeah. But they're my older sisters." Liz answered, nodding her head as if to confirm that fact. Ryan nodded in acknowledgement, scratching the back of his neck.

"Are you okay? Nobody'd mind if you wanted to go get some air…"

Liz shook her head this time, her ponytail gently bouncing along as she did. "No, I… I'm good. Don't worry. Well…"

Uttering a sigh, the female bent down and opened her suitcase, shifting through the various items that were stashed inside, varying from packages with q-tips to flash- and UV-lights, until she uncovered a fresh pair of white, latex gloves and slipped those on. Ryan followed her example, fishing a pair of his own out of his kit, and wandering through the room a bit once he'd put them on. Liz had focused on the body in front of her, taking quick notes and making photographs of basic things, like the position of the body and the blood pool that had formed around her head. While doing that, Liz noticed a hair stuck in the blood. It was too far removed from the victim's head to actually belong to her, not to mention that it wasn't even half as long and of a dark brown coloration. Using a pair of tweezers, she picked it up, carefully studying it before dropping it in a paper bag, labeling it according to its contents.

"I found a hair. Doesn't belong to the vic." She spoke, loud enough for Ryan to hear at the other end of the room. The male had been busy looking through the cupboard, something that gave Liz the chills. He didn't seem to notice, though, and nodded a tad absently.

"There's not much here except for clothes."

"Most of the people who come in here don't have much else to start with."

Ryan noticed Liz didn't look up from the body as she spoke. Not that it was uncommon, but the way she looked was…different. Like she was trying to avoid something.

"…Are you sure you're okay?"

Liz had trouble not to breathe a sigh. Knowing Ryan would probably keep asking, she pushed herself back up her feet, deciding to play along.

"You know, I…I don't know. I, uhm…"

"Then go." Ryan spoke softly, having approached Liz. He gently poked her cheek with a smile, causing the female to look up and flash a faint smile herself.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just be good enough at around lunch, okay? 'Cause I'm not gonna have it by myself."

Shaking her head in slight amusement, Liz closed her kit again and picked it up from the floor after taking her gloves off, and left the room quietly. As quiet as she was, as much thoughts and questions filled her head. A copycat? No…That wouldn't explain the hair. Maybe it would. Loads of people had brown hair. Still, the fact that their vic looked so much like her bothered Liz, more than she expected to. That, in combination with the wounds being consistent left the female with a hollow feeling in her stomach, like she was about to see her breakfast for the second time today. And when that happened to a coroner…Something was off.

* * *

"My Lord! Liz honey, I don't say this often, but you scared me to death!"

An apologetic smile curved Liz's lips as she looked up from the photographs she held in her hands, of the crime scene she and Ryan had visited earlier. She came to face Alexx Woods, who towered out above her seeing as Liz had made herself comfortable in a chair, her arms crossed and obviously not in a very good mood.

"I'm sorry, Alexx. I should've called, but I figured…"

"Never assume anything, honey." The coroner interrupted, her dark eyes set upon Liz sternly, "Especially not when it concerns a young girl that looks suspiciously much like you lying on my autopsy table."

"I would never die on you, Alexx. And you know that." Liz replied, looking back at Alexx, though her blue eyes carried a softer expression, one that Alexx soon returned. She couldn't stay mad for all that long.

"You're too stubborn to die."

"Texan blood. Nothing you can do about it."

Alexx smiled, putting her hand on top of Liz's head in a motherly way, stroking the female's hair as if she were a young child.

"Nothing I'd want to do about it, honey. Not a thing."


End file.
